Top 20 Most Beautiful Pram-Friendly Walks To Enjoy This Spring

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As warmer weather finally starts to make an appearance, iCandy has revealed the UK’s top 20 most beautiful pushchair-friendly walks so families with young children can enjoy the great outdoors more this spring.

Getting outside has so many health benefits for kids, but for many families with small children, it can be difficult to find amazing places to explore that are also accessible for pushchairs. So, iCandy hopes the guide will help to open up the UK to families who want to enjoy stunning walks in nature with their pushchair.

  • A new study from iCandy has analysed hundreds of ‘pushchair-friendly’ walks in the UK to reveal the top 20 most beautiful
  • Damflask Reservoir in South Yorkshire tops the list as the UK’s most picturesque walk for families with young children in prams
  • Dovestone Reservoir in Greater Manchester and Turton and Entwistle Reservoir in Lancashire are close behind in second and third
  • Seven of the top 10 most picture-perfect walks are found in the North of the UK

To help families with young children enjoy the great outdoors more this spring, iCandy has revealed the top 20 most beautiful walks in the UK that are ‘pushchair-friendly’.

Research from the National Trust shows 76% of UK children want to spend more time outdoors and there are countless health benefits of being outside, like improving sleep, encouraging independence, enhancing social skills and increasing their overall happiness. But, for many families with small children, it can often be difficult to find amazing places to explore that are also accessible for pushchairs.

Cameron Appel, Vice CEO at iCandy, commented, “As a new parent myself, I know first-hand how frustrating it can be to miss out on beautiful walks because paths aren’t suitable for prams. It almost feels like the world shrinks a bit. So, we hope this new guide will open up the UK to families who want to enjoy stunning walks in nature with a pushchair.”

The UK’s most picturesque pram-friendly walks

To reveal the UK’s prettiest country walks for families, the pushchair experts at iCandy analysed data for over 320 ‘stroller friendly’ walks on AllTrails that were noted for their accessibility. iCandy ranked each of the walks against four key criteria to create an index: walk difficulty, the average review score, the total number of reviews and the total number of photos posted to Instagram. For the 100 most reviewed walks, the results were then weighted to award each walk a total score out of 100.

With a chart-topping score of 90, Damflask Reservoir walk, near Sheffield in stunning South Yorkshire, is the UK’s best and most beautiful pram-friendly walk. The route offers up spectacular vistas across the reservoir as well as meandering pathways through fabulous woodland that are perfect for playing games, like hide and seek, as you make your way around. The South Yorkshire circular walk has a difficulty rating of ‘easy’ and is around 3.8 miles long, with flat paths that provide great access for prams and families.

Dovestone Reservoir Circular, on the edge of the Peak District National Park, near Manchester, takes second place. Along the route, walkers can admire the spectacular rolling hills surrounding the reservoir and pass through shaded woodland – perfect for inspecting some local wildlife with the little ones.

Following in third, is Turton and Entwistle Reservoir Circular, near Bolton. The walk is an easy 2.5-mile circular trail and is a favourite with runners and walkers. On a warm summer’s day, the lake provides a beautiful backdrop for capturing a family photo during a fun outing, and there are plenty of lovely spots along the route that are great for picnics – perfect for those who want to make a little more of their day out.

Fourth place goes to Hollingworth Lake in Greater Manchester – home to a variety of water sports, including sailing, canoeing and rowing. Virginia Water Circular, located on the southern edge of Windsor Great Park in Surrey takes fifth place – this walk serves up a wonderful array of nature to admire, including deer, badgers, moles, rabbits and hares.

Seven of the top 10 walks are in the North of England, with trails in South Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Cumbria and Tyne and Wear amongst the most popular and picture-worthy accessible walks.

Hampshire, and more specifically, the New Forest, is home to three of the top 20 walks, with Tall Trees Trail and Acres Down Woodland both ranking in 6th place, and Bolderwood Deer Sanctuary taking 14th place in the study.

Whilst London might be home to many beautiful parks and walks along the Thames, only one city central walk made this top 20 list – the circular route from Regent’s Park to Primrose Hill ranked in 20th place overall. The easy route takes walkers through the park and then up the Hill, where they can enjoy views of one of the most recognisable skylines in the world.

The Top 20 Most Popular Picturesque Pram-Friendly Walks In The UK

Rank

Walk

County

Score out of 100

1

Damflask Reservoir Circular

South Yorkshire

90

2

Dovestone Reservoir Circular

Greater Manchester

89

3

Turton and Entwistle Reservoir Circular

Lancashire

86

4

Hollingworth Lake

Greater Manchester

83

5

Virginia Water Circular

Surrey

82

6

Friar’s Crag

Cumbria

79

6

Roe Green Loop Line and Bridgewater Canal Circular

Greater Manchester

79

6

Tall Trees Trail Circular

Hampshire

79

6

Herrington Country Park Circular

Tyne and Wear

79

6

Acres Down Woodland

Hampshire

79

11

Newmillerdam Country Park Circular

West Yorkshire

77

11

Clent Hill Circular

Worcestershire

77

11

Tarn Hows and Rose Castle Plantation Circular

Cumbria

77

14

Orrest Head from Windermere

Cumbria

75

14

Bolderwood Deer Sanctuary and Bolderwood Grounds Circular

Hampshire

75

16

Rendlesham Forest UFO Site Circular

Suffolk

74

17

Walsall Arboretum

West Midlands

73

17

Colley Hill and Reigate Hill

Surrey

73

17

Bowers Lake and Astley Lake Circular

Greater Manchester

73

20

Fewston Reservoir Circular

North Yorkshire

70

20

Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill Circular

Greater London

70

20

Pitsford Water Circular

Northamptonshire

70

Cameron adds: “Easy access walks help families to get outside, not only for those with pushchairs but for families with kids who want to ride along on scooters and bikes. Having walks where you know you can enjoy the route without having to struggle with your pram can make such a difference. We hope this research helps to inspire families to make the most of those summer days and get out and explore more.”


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